Fantasy Points by Week

Player Outlook

Golden Tate remains a high-quality short-area target for the Lions, and he'll stay in that volume-driven role so long as the Lions' run game is a mess. It's a great spot as it's given him at least 120 targets and 90 receptions in each of four seasons in Motown with over 1,000 yards in three. Where Tate will drive you batty is in his consistency - in his last two seasons he's given you 10-plus Fantasy points in non-PPR leagues 12 times and six points or fewer 18 times. In PPR he's made 15-plus points 14 times and less than 10 points 12 times in the same span, so he's more dependable in the receptions-based format. That's par for the course for Tate, and something you should expect heading into 2018. He's fine as a late Round 4 choice in PPR leagues, but wait at least one more round in standard formats since his yardage and touchdown totals are a little uneven over 16 games. You're doing great if he ends up as your No. 3 receiver.

Player News

Tate took a hit to his knee during Friday's preseason opener against the Raiders and did not return to the game, Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group reports.
Tate absorbed the hit on his first and only catch of the game. The receiver immediately left the field afterward and was seen flexing his knee on the sideline. The Lions have yet to comment on the situation, so it's possible Tate isn't dealing with anything serious.

Tate hasn't discussed an extension with the Lions, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Tate is entering the final season of a five-year, $31 million contract that he's vastly outperformed, coming off four consecutive 90-catch campaigns without missing a game. He'll turn 30 in August but showed no signs of slowing down last season when he caught 92 of 122 targets (75.4 percent) for 1,003 yards (8.2 per target) and five touchdowns. The Lions likely will approach him about an extension this spring or summer, as they get a nice mix of skills with Tate, Marvin Jones and 2017 third-round pick Kenny Golladay as their wideout trio. Matthew Stafford may rely on that bunch even more than he did last season, after losing tight ends Eric Ebron (Colts) and Darren Fells (Browns).

Tate secured all seven of his targets for 104 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 35-11 victory over Green Bay. He also threw for a two-point conversion.
Most of his production came on a 71-yard bomb in the third quarter, while his pass on a two-point conversion could very well be the only one he throws in his career. Nonetheless, Tate entered the game with 899 receiving yards and 85 catches to his name, but his performance Sunday pushed him to his third 1,000-yard effort in the past four years, not to mention his fourth consecutive season with 90-plus receptions -- which is a feat that's only been accomplished by six other players in league history. His official season-long stat line comes out to 92 receptions on 120 targets for 1,003 yards and five scores. With the 2017 campaign in the books, Tate now enters the last year of his contract with Detroit and will return in 2018 as a PPR commodity. However, future investors should take into account that third-round rookie Kenny Golladay began eating into Tate's playing time as the year went on.

Tate gathered in three of six passes for 14 yards during Sunday's 26-17 defeat at Cincinnati.
Aside from back-to-back eight-catch performances Weeks 13 and 14, Tate has been relatively quiet on four occasions over the Lions' last six games. In those four outings, he's combined for 13 receptions (on 23 targets) for 86 yards, the latter of which he hit in five of the first nine games of the season. Because Tate's value depends on sheer volume, he isn't exactly getting it done during this all-important stretch, which saw the Lions get knocked from the NFC playoff picture Sunday. He'll aim to end the year in good standing Week 17 against the Packers, who he torched for a season-best 113 yards Week 9.

Tate caught three of five targets for 33 yards during Saturday's 20-10 victory over the Bears.
Tate, who entered the game seeing 7.8 targets per game, simply didn't see many looks come his way. He didn't even catch a pass until the third quarter, either. With the way this game played out, quarterback Matthew Stafford ended up spreading the ball around more than usual; six different receivers garnered between three and five targets Saturday while tight end Eric Ebron uncharacteristically paced the team with seven. Tate and Marvin Jones usually combine for a near-majority target share on a game-to-game basis, so fantasy owners still in contention and DFS players alike can expect the Notre Dame product to see a heavier workload in Week 16 against the Bengals.